The Criminal Law of Ancient Rome

Rating:
Summary: For Cognoscenti Only
Review: Having been a practicing criminal lawyer for over 30 years, and having been a student of Roman history for nearly 50 years, I had trouble digesting this book. The author writes in near impenetrable academic jargon, makes obscure allusions to persons and events beyond the ken of any but the most knowledgeable specialist, and leavens his writing with Latin terms which he omitted from the glossary at the end of the book.

In order to get the best benefit from this book, you need to have at least a Master's Degree in Ancient History and a fair command of Latin. A Juris Doctor would also be helpful.

It is unfortunate that academicians writing for an academic audience must write in such gobbledygook. Writing should seek to enlighten the reader, not showcase the erudition of the writer.

The author says nothing in this book that he couldn't have said plainly. Time after time I labored to cipher out some tortured sentence structure, and when I had finally decoded it, I realized it could have been said simply enough for anyone reading on 9th grade level to understand.

I understand that academicians are more interested in impressing their peers than they are in educating their pupils, and that plain writing is anathema, but I have a suggestion. Let all academic writings be done like the "No Fear Shakespeare" series, in parallel columns with the gobbledygook in the left column and a plain English translation in the right.